Writer/Director Prashant Bhargava and Producer Jaideep Punjabi were the recipients of the Rising Star Film Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for the feature film PATANG (The Kite). The awards ceremony was held in New York City on October 23rd, 2012. The jury consisted of Indian film critic Rajeev Masand, India Abroad editor Arthur Pais, singer/songwriter and Goldspot frontman Siddhartha Khosla, American actress and musician Janina Gavankar and American actor Maulik Pancholy.

PATANG is one of the most critically celebrated Indian films of the year. PATANG had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and its North American premiere in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film has gone on to play at 30 film festivals worldwide and won numerous accolades including Best Feature Narrative at the Hawaii International Film Festival, Best World Narrative at the Indy Film Festival, Special Jury Award and the Best Feature Narrative at the DC APA Film Festival and the Special Jury Award at the OSIAN's Film Festival (New Delhi).

ROGER EBERT gave PATANG 4 STARS in the Chicago Sun Times and wrote "The story telling is effortlessly made part of the hypnotically beautiful visuals, and woven into a kaleidoscope of colors, faces, music and a little romance. Bhargava is masterful!

The New York Times gave PATANG a Critics Pick writing - "Prashant Bhargava's first feature, has a lovely, unforced quality... themes appear: about wealth in the new India, family responsibility, old ways versus modern ones. They seem fresh here. So does PATANG."